Antecedent
by Olivia Warden
Summary: One and a half years before arriving on Earth, the Star Senshi have yet to realize their destiny. Yaten is a withdrawn girl with a jaded past. Seiya, a popular and outgoing girl finds herself inexplicably drawn to her. SeiYaten pairing. please read
1. A Break in the Storm

Seiya looked on drearily at the unwavering storm outside her dorm window. She and the rest of her class were confined indoors as long as it lasted. The rain on Kinmokusei was not particularly dire, but the winds that accompanied it were another story. Seiya sighed, regretting that she could not spend the day outside with her friends playing juuball or swimming down at the lake. She leaned her head against the curved dome of her window. It was cold but bore no comparison to the freezing temperature outside. Oleh trees swayed dangerously in the park beyond the school-house. She feared they would not be able to withstand the onslaught.

She turned away from the grim view, facing her time projection. Violet digits glowed against the dark wall. It was early in the day but you wouldn't know it; the sun had barely shown herself all week. Seiya's roommates were in classes now--just her luck. Her stomach grumbled and she glanced down. _Time to eat_, she reconciled, leaving her place at the window to find something to wear.

A small wave of her hand over a seemingly blank wall made her wardrobe selector appear before her. She skimmed the tops until she found one that she liked, a navy blue tee with a white stripe across the middle. Now the bottom was more difficult. Page after page of searching turned up nothing appealing. Just as she was about to resign herself to sweats she stopped at an image of grey 'swing shorts', the latest style among the girls her age. The shorts were cut high on the thigh, flaring so that at certain angles they could pass as a skirt. With a grin the selected the item and finished off the outfit with a pair of short white boots.

'THANK YOU' flashed on the screen and then a slot in her wall opened and her clothes slid out to her. She grabbed them off of the floating silver square and it slid back into place, disappearing. Quickly she divested herself of her sleep attire and replaced it with the tee and shorts, sliding on her boots before she exited her quarters.

The halls were alive with discussion as always—more so because the residents of Kou were forced to stay inside. Seiya greeted many people along the way, being stopped several times by her friends to engage in brief conversations. There was no path that she could take without running into someone he knew, and she would never be rude enough to refuse an offer to chat. Thus by the time she weaved her way through the honeycomb of passages to the mess hall she was sufficiently starved and the only thing she was interested in doing with her mouth was stuffing food into it. As she waited for her order to be processed, she scanned the mess hall for an empty table. Regretfully she noted that every table had at least someone present, most of them housing groups of young vivacious teenagers talking extensively on subjects that held little appeal for Seiya. She was in no mood to hear about the latest film on movie night or who was taking who to such and such event. What she needed was a place to sit in peace, a near-impossible request to fulfill in such a place.

She had all but given up hope when her eye caught a table in the corner. The floating disc was only serving one person so far as he could tell, and that person's mouth was blessedly shut. Seiya grabbed her order off of the counter and made her way into the back of the room.

The girl at the table had a book open and was reading it, somehow managing to block out all of the distractions around them. She barely flinched when Seiya approached, not bothering to acknowledge her with so much as a look. _Rude_, Seiya thought bitterly. It was not often that one did not introduce herself when noticing another's presence. Seiya cleared her throat.

The girl slowly closed the book over her hand, then looked up at Seiya impatiently. Seiya was thrown by her attitude but tried her best to remain calm and friendly. "Is anyone sitting here?"

"I am."

_Of course_. "May I join you then?"

"Do as you like," the girl said coyly, returning her attention to her book. Seiya sat and placed her tray on the table. For a while Seiya picked at her food, taking small bites of meat and curry but not really giving it much thought. Now all of her thoughts were focused on the unmannered woman across from her. She openly stared at the silver hair which flowed freely down her back and over her shoulders. The glimpse of her eyes had shown them to be a stunning sea green, guarded by short dark lashes. They paid no mind to her, focusing instead on the pages of a book Seiya could not recognize. She mused over it for a second and then exclaimed, pointing at the book and drawing the attention of everyone near them.

The girl looked up at her too, startled by the noise. Seiya forgot about the rest of the crowd looking on at them and addressed her alone, "That's not from here."

The girl tilted her head, eying her curiously and cautiously, as if Seiya was a little bit insane. "Pardon?" she said at last.

Seiya reached across the table and grabbed onto the book. The woman held it in a firm grip incase Seiya was trying to take it from her but Seiya only pulled it down so that she could see the writing inside. She nodded. "Mm, definitely not from here. Which means _you're _not from here." The girl stared at her with a dumbfounded look on her face, her green eyes flashing emotions that were beyond Seiya's understanding. Then at once she rose from the table and made to leave.

"Wait!" Seiya jumped up and grabbed her arm. The girl flinched and dropped the book.

"Let go of me," she warned, although her voice was thick with fear. Seiya found that she didn't want to let go--she didn't want this girl to get away from her.

She released her despite the urge to keep holding on and in the next moment the girl was lost in the crowd. For a while she stared at the spot where she had disappeared and then, realizing there was probably no hope of finding her, resigned herself to her meal. A glint of silver caught her eye and she glanced down and remembered the book. Bending down, she picked it up and studied it. The book was bound in a deep blue velvet, silver symbols inscribed on its cover. She flipped through the white parchment pages. The words and diagrams were like nothing she had ever seen. She turned the book to the side and then upside down, wondering if she was trying to read it wrong.

"You come up with more creative ways of studying every day, Seiya-san."

Seiya glanced up and then up further. A tall figure stared down at her, smiling. "Taiki!" she yelled excitedly, standing and holding up the book proudly. She held it open to a random page and pointed. "Can you read this?"

Taiki lowered her head and skimmed the page over the rim of her sunglasses. Her brows furrowed and she gently took the book from Seiya's hands. "No...I can't," she realized aloud. She looked at Seiya with something like wonder and envy. "Where did you get this?" she asked.

Seiya sighed, her shoulders falling into a slump. If Taiki couldn't decipher it then nobody she knew could. Taiki was notoriously smart. No one in their grade could even come near her marks. Taiki was well aware of her own abilities but never vocalized it. She was extremely polite and conservative, very different from Seiya, but Seiya believed that was why she liked her so much. It was refreshing to have someone around who she didn't need to carry a constant prattle with. Taiki and Seiya could share a silence comfortably, which was rare in Kou. Nobody else could understand how the two popular girls had ever become friends.

They had in fact become friends by chance. Since their initiation into the school as children, the two had shared living quarters year after year. Seiya had always found it suspicious that they had never been separated even though the yearly dorm changes were random, and eventually concluded that Taiki's father had some hand in the matter. Her father was Head of Security at their school, himself a former headmaster of it. He was rich, and moreover he had connections with the Board of Education. Knowing Taiki, she had probably _discreetly _brought the subject up to his father and won him over. Seiya was flattered if that was the case.

"A girl dropped it," she answered, sitting once more. "I think I scared her, but I don't know how. I only questioned her about her book and she got upset and left."

Taiki took a seat where the mysterious girl had been. She crossed her legs and set the book between them. "Are you sure you didn't insult her? Think hard."

Seiya scratched her head. "Nope. Not that I can think of." Seiya sighed, lifting the book and looking at it. "I guess I'll never find her to return her book. I only wanted to know where she was from."

Taiki shook her head. "You should pay more attention to what you say. You never know who you might offend."

Seiya gritted her teeth but abstained from responding. She didn't want to give Taiki the satisfaction of arousing her anger. And of course, Taiki was only teasing her. She had grown accustomed to the subtle display of humor from the other girl.

"Well I wasn't _trying _to offend anybody," Seiya insisted, propping her leg up and reaching for her tea. She shook her head as she sipped from the cup. "I just can't understand--never mind. I guess there's no use thinking about her. I'll likely never see her again."

"Don't be so dismal, Seiya. There are only a few thousand students on this campus. The likelihood that you will cross each others' path before you leave the school permanently is--"

Seiya cut her off with a wave of her hand. "I get it." She laughed shortly. "Actually, it's likelier than you think. After all, how many people from this area have silver hair?"

"Silver hair?"

"You wouldn't believe. You'd have to see it for yourself."

"I have."

Seiya nearly choked on her tea. "What?! When?"

Taiki checked her watch. "About two hours ago."

"She's in your first class?" Seiya picked up the book again and handed it toward her. "You can give it to her tomorrow. And...tell her I'm sorry for me? Even though I still don't know what I could have done."

"You can give it to her yourself. Our class is going to be at the Sphere tomorrow. Mistress Hana wouldn't mind if you happened along with us."

Seiya smiled. "Tomorrow, then." She turned to look out the wide window behind her. "If only this weather would stop, maybe we could all go out hiking together." With a critical look toward the brunette, she said, "Those sunglasses are completely unnecessary."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Taiki nodded toward the window and Seiya's mouth fell open as she saw the veil part and the sun break through for the first time in what seemed like ages. Gasps were heard from all around them as the students witnessed the sight, each mind filled with prospects of the day now that they could return to their outdoor activities. Seiya turned back to the table and to her tea and muttered something into that cup.

"You can't borrow them," Taiki asserted calmly, drinking from her own cup.

Seiya grinned secretly, her expression hidden but not unnoticed.


	2. The Path of Stars

Yaten stared up at the brilliant canopy of stars that hung overhead.

It was an illusion, of course, but a convincing one. Far more splendid than anything she had ever imagined she would see at school. Yaten stood alone at the back of the class, her head tipped up toward the ceiling. The room was gigantic, each section of wall displaying its own drama. Stars disappeared into constellations and then into galaxies as the instructor zoomed out. She witnessed their birth and death, time accelerating to reveal the glorious process of nature. Yaten was intrigued--on so many levels. It was a shame that she did not have the ability to command the projections, but that was a privelage reserved for the teachers.

Now the teacher was leading her class away, on to a different lesson in the great Sphere. Yaten threw a sideglance and saw them move on but did not follow. She shoved her hands deep into her pockets, looking up at the magnificence of the universe in a rare moment of peace.

A hand on her arm jolted her back into reality. She whirled and stepped back in the same motion. Her heart was beating rapidly but she resisted the urge to put her hand over it. Realizing who it was that snuck up on her, she said angrily, "You!"

The dark haired girl held up her hands in defense and Yaten noticed the dark object between her long, thin fingers. "My book..." she said absently, falling temporarily into a cold memory. Then the girl extended it toward her. She regarded it with suspicion, as if the very thing might bite her. Yet her hand reached for it of its own accord, pale digits brushing the fine velvet cover.

"You dropped it yesterday," the girl offered, interrupting the silence. Yaten's gaze rose to meet the stranger's eyes, open and unguarded and shining like cobalt. So unlike her own, she thought with a tinge of bitterness. She realized she still hadn't spoken.

"I didn't mean to scare you yesterday," the girl continued. "I was only curious. Here, take it."

Yaten snatched the book away, her words returning to her. "I don't need to be told to take my own book," she scowled. Snubbing her, she turned away to face the stars again.

"Oy, so easily offended..." she heard the girl say behind her.

"I heard that," she quipped. How deaf did that girl think she was? A spurt of nervous giggles followed, and then the girl was at her side. Yaten looked at her as though she were crazy.

"I'm Kou Seiya!" the girl exclaimed, holding up her hand for Yaten to grasp in the typical gesture of greeting. The smaller girl, however, did not reciprocate.

"Shita Yaten," she answered in a dull tone, hoping to discourage the woman from further conversation. Somehow it only served to fuel her.

"Shita!?! Where is that?" Yaten felt her eye begin to twitch. How could someone be so enthusiastic over nothing at all? Yet the girl was anxiously awaiting her answer. Yaten adopted a grim expression.

"Far away," she said simply, wishing mightily that the conversation would end.

"But in this system right?"

"Go buy a map," Yaten said rudely and began to walk away.

"Hang on! What did I say? I'm--sorry...again."

Yaten sighed. This girl made her feel like she was being so _mean_. If only she knew...perhaps then she would not think ill of Yaten's attitude toward the topic. But what did it matter anyway? She was only some stranger, no one important. No one at all to her. She turned again to leave.

"I saw you looking at them."

Yaten did not know why it stopped her. She did not understand why her muscles froze and her legs betrayed her by staying put. Most certainly she did not understand why she said what she said next.

"They call to me."

"Hm?" Yaten sighed, knowing the girl was waiting for more. She didn't want to say it; she really didn't.

"The stars. They... I feel them drawing me to them. I feel like..." So many things, and no way to describe them. It was impossible to convey their allure in such a way that would measure up to it. But it was more than that, more than their beauty or mystery. It was something that went unnamed, deep within her.

And against her nature, against all logic and thought that spoke to warn her, she wanted to share it with the girl, with this woman who had done naught but annoy her since she first asked to sit at her table. She feared her, this _Seiya_, she feared her directness and the way that she seemed to confront her constantly. With her eyes, her touch...reaching out to Yaten perhaps without knowing it. And it made Yaten want to hide, for all the obvious reasons but even more than that because a part of her wanted it.

"Nevermind," she said with a toss of her hand. "See you later," she added dismissively but Seiya responded,

"I'll hold you to it."

Then at once she was lost in the crowd of inquiring students who had gathered close to the entrance. When she was sure Seiya was not watching her, she looked down at the book she was holding and traced the fine lettering of the cover. _'The Path of Stars'_, it read in Kavaaran, her native language. She opened the book and read,

'No planet can orbit two stars. For such a force to be exerted on it by two seperate stars, the stars themselves would be drawn to eachother and ultimately collide.' _What a lonely life_, thought Yaten, _that one could not be close to another for fear of destroying them both. _She sighed heavily, feeling the weight of sorrow on her slight form. The book closed with a thud of finality. She truly knew what it was to be a star.


	3. Just a Game

Seiya strode across the deep green grass, Taiki at her side. The park was plenty full of groups of people playing, several people reading or engaged in some other solitary activity, and a few couples. Someone from most every group greeted Seiya and Taiki as they passed, many of them asking Seiya to join their team. Seiya turned them down gently with promises for the future. Finally she and Taiki found a quiet spot to sit.

The trees with flowing limbs swayed gently, their shadows reflecting the almost hypnotic motion. They set themselves down in the shade, Seiya spreading out the blanket that they had brought with them. Taiki thanked her as she tucked her skirt neatly under her and sat. Seiya joined her, placing the basket of food in between them. As she set up the meal, a conglomeration of meats and bread and fruit, the brown haired girl pulled a small item from her school bag.

"Is that it?" Seiya nodded to it. In answer there arose a hologram, maps of stars moving in a rotation in front of them. Seiya temporarily forgot the food and stared openly. Taiki pressed buttons on the small metal oval that lay in the palm of her hand and the image shifted to their solar system. There at the center was the bright blue star, five planets visible and a sixth too far off the side of the hologram to see. The closest was red and volatile; the second engulfed in a swirling mass of darkness; the third, a vibrant teal and green; the fourth, a lifeless red with contrasting pale clouds; the fifth, dark green with several black patches. The sixth, Seiya had learned, was little more than a huge rock floating in the sky. It was used as a military base and nothing more to the best of her knowledge.

Seiya shifted, her curiosity again overtaking her as she stared at the planets in her system. Taiki had agreed to help Seiya learn more about her mystery girl, Yaten Shita, and as always she had come through. She had somehow convinced her astronomy teacher to allow her to borrow the mini-projector. There were times when Seiya wished that she were as smart and adored by teachers as Taiki. But then that wouldn't be half as much fun as always getting on their nerves.

"So where is this _Shita_?" Seiya asked, eyeing the third planet. She was pretty familiar with the neighboring communities, and had some degree of knowledge of the ones beyond her sector. But Shita was a place she had never heard of.

Much to her surprise, Taiki focused on the fourth planet. At first Seiya thought she had made a mistake but the image was following Taiki's commands precisely. It descended through the atmosphere, onto a desolate range of dusty red rocks. As far as Seiya could see, there was no form of life.

Seiya stared at Taiki with a look of confusion. Taiki shrugged one eyebrow up. "You really don't know anything about Kavaar do you?"

A dark head of hair shook innocently.

Taiki sighed. She began, "Shita is covered in a concentrated layer of nitrogen. The atmosphere contains significant levels of oxygen as well, but because the nitrogen is lighter than the oxygen it rises to the surface. Thus the only part of the planet with breathable areas is underground."

Blue eyes, dark with concentration, blinked several times. "Oh!" Seiya cried, her finger flying up into the air to emphasize her point. "So the people live underground!"

Taiki gave her a worried look for a second and then pushed up her glasses. "Precisely. Of course there are bases above ground as well; a few interplanetary transports, and some mining fields--especially towards the south. But all of the major cities are located in the caverns below." The scene faded and a series of images appeared, depicting the underground culture. Multi-leveled cities were carved out of the rock below, passageways following the natural formation of the earth. There were great markets between cites, groups of people trading in such crowded spaces that it made Seiya uncomfortable just to look at them. Though intrigued, Seiya tore her eyes away to look at her friend.

"Why would someone switch homes so drastically? Especially at this age."

A pair of chestnut brows furrowed. Taiki lifted her hand to her chin in thought. "I don't know. Of course Kou is renowned for its schools, but most who transfer for that reason do so in their earliest years of childhood. Rarely would one get the chance before entrance into their career field. It does seem unusual..."

"Oy! Taiki! Seiya!!" The two turned in time to dodge an energy ball which passed in between them. Their friend Aje ran up to them, breathless and smiling.

"Ah, sorry you two! I missed that last pass. How are ya?"

Both women responded appropriately, Taiki tucking the device away into her school bag.

"Good! So you will be up for a game of juuball?"

Taiki waved her hands in front of her. "Count me out," she said, settling back against the tree to watch. Aje turned his gaze on Seiya.

"Come on Seiya, just one game."

"Ah, maybe not today. The next time I see you, though..."

"That's what you said that _last_ time." The redhead latched on to Seiya's arm. "Seiyaaaaa, please join our team! How can you not play one game of juuball when the weather is so improved?"

"Ai!" Seiya cried as she was lifted to her feet. Aje pushed a long stick into her hands and gave her a slap on the back. "Good to have you," he commended, running to retrieve the glowing blue ball. Seiya turned back to Taiki.

"Don't look at me to fix this," Taiki said as a mother would to her child, but Seiya noticed the grin that she tried to hide.

"This first one is for you," Seiya said with a wink as she shed her short-sleeved jacket and ran out onto the field.

An hour and twenty minutes later she dropped down next to her friend. Taiki had a book open in front of her and her glasses covered her face but Seiya felt her glance. "One game?" Taiki asked with a hint of amusement. Seiya turned back to her and laughed, lines of perspiration sliding down her face and arms and every other patch of open skin.

"Play with us!" she pleaded, grabbing Taiki with wet palms. The other girl looked repulsed. "You're only young once." Taiki was unimpressed. "Besides, Kisha has to go to class. We're one person short on the other team."

"Why don't you sit out then? Make it nine versus nine."

"Because!!!! Then it wouldn't be called _juu_ball," Seiya reasoned as if it were the most logical explanation in the world. She tugged again at her arm but Taiki shrugged it away.

"UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She growled at the world in general and fell backwards onto the blanket, arms splayed out on either side. The afternoon sun peeked through the trees, stinging Seiya's eyes. She turned her head to avoid it and her eyes went wide.

"Hmm--Seiya!?" Taiki cried after her when she leapt up at once and ran.

Seiya reached the girl in two seconds flat, her hands on her hips as she tried to regain her breath. At her presence Yaten looked up, startled out of a daydream unknown to the dark haired girl. "What are you doing?" she asked the panting woman in front of her.

Miraculously Seiya managed to choke out a few words. "Saw... you... thought... maybe... wanted… play... juuball." Seiya indicated behind her. Yaten looked over the taller girl's shoulder at the group of teens--male and female--standing and chatting. Seiya saw a look of disdain pass through her eyes and her hope dimmed.

"No, I don't like sports," the girl stated neutrally and made to go by her.

"Wait just a second!" She grabbed onto the girl's wrist and cool emerald eyes fell to where their skin made contact. Seiya released her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine! I mean, just don't do it again…" The girl turned away to hide her expression. Seiya was so focused on her that she did not even realize the small crowd that had gathered around her.

"Who's this?" several people began to ask about the new girl.

"Look at her hair—and her eyes!"

"But can she play?"

Aje stepped in front of the girl and looked her over critically, while she looked ready to claw his eyes out if he got too close. "Hmm…" he mused, tapping his chin. "Ever played juuball before?" Before she could answer he said, "No matter if you haven't. We can teach you. Okay here's the deal: the object of the game is to pass the juuball to each other and then toss it into the net. Ten players to a team. The score is calculated by how many consecutive passes to your own team have been made before the goal. So let's say it gets passed to four people and score; that would be forty points, ten times the number of passes. And if you pass it to all ten players before scoring you get a hundred point bonus. A thousand points wins the game."

He pushed a stick into her hands, a bowl-like object attached to one end. "This is your passing stick. You catch the juuball with the end of it. Like so—" He demonstrated with a tall skinny blond boy in the grade above them. "Got it now?"

"I—I didn't say I would play."

"AH!!!!!!! SEIYA!! She's as stubborn as you!" His face was absolutely glowing as he pulled her onto the field. "Let's hope she can play as well," he said with a wink.

For a frustrating fifteen minutes Yaten did nothing but hang in the background, looking all the while like she was trying to find an escape. Seiya kept turning back to watch her even as she chased the ball back and forth across the field. She was so distracted that she missed two very easy passes, earning her scorns from her teammates. Never did she play so badly.

Seiya suddenly devised a plan. She called out and her teammate immediately passed the ball to her but she stopped and began running in the opposite direction.

"Hey! What's she doing?!"

The dark haired girl ignored the cries of her team and ran straight toward Yaten who looked at her fearfully, not knowing what to expect. When Seiya was close enough that she could almost reach out to her with her stick she yelled "Catch!" and tossed the juuball to the smaller girl. Yaten caught it on impulse and Seiya felt a wave of triumph.

The other eighteen players were rushing toward them. "What are you doing?!? She's on the other team!??!" Aje yelled in disbelief. Seiya had a feeling she would be losing some of her popularity from this but it didn't really matter to her. In fact, she was almost to the point where she would rather be unknown and unbothered like this girl than always so in demand as she was. So really, she had nothing to lose.

"Now toss it back to your team," she instructed just as the others reached them. If it hadn't been for the horde of people rushing toward her Yaten may have just dropped the ball on the ground and walked away. But she barely had a chance to react before they were on her, and instinctively she threw it up to the nearest person on her team.

The girl caught it and carried it right past her, along with the crowd. Only Seiya remained, looking at Yaten who stood frozen on the spot. She wondered if maybe it hadn't been such a good plan after all. Her knuckles over her stick were pale as her hair, and she looked as though she was shaking slightly.

Seiya approached her cautiously, but when she nearly touched her the girl swung around toward her and smacked her hand away. Her eyes burned up at Seiya with fear and rage. "What did you think you were doing?" she asked angrily. Seiya took a step back.

"I…thought it would get you to play," she said nervously. Seiya was never nervous, never but with this girl. Something about her made Seiya forget how to be the cool, untroubled person everyone saw her as.

"You can't force me to do what I don't want to!" Yaten fumed. Seiya's defenses kicked in.

"It's just a game!" she shouted back with equal volume.

Yaten threw the stick down at her feet and marched off angrily. Her departure caused a wave of gasps from both teams and all other onlookers. Seiya frowned as she watched the girl get smaller and smaller. She felt Taiki's presence at her side.

"You've offended her again."

"Thanks for the update," Seiya shot. "What am I going to do about her?" she asked rhetorically.

"Well," Taiki began, "approaching her obviously hasn't worked. Perhaps you should consider leaving her alone?"

Seiya sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat. "You're right, I know. It's just…" How could she explain it? It was inexplicable, the way she was drawn to her. Almost like—like what Yaten herself had said, about the stars calling to her. That was how she felt. Something about the girl made Seiya need to be around her, _need _to know her more.

"I think I'll go back to my dorm." She had been speaking only to Taiki but at her announcement a wave of protests broke from the juuballers. Seiya had forgotten all about them. She quickly waved her hands and smiled at the lot of them; "No no, don't worry. I'll come back to play with you tomorrow." She made a quick exit then, before they would force her to stay.

Taiki followed at her side as they reentered the school, taking the least crowded route possible. Finally they arrived at the room they shared.

Seiya made to go inside but her friend stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Taiki's violet eyes were clouded with concern. "You will be alright? You should try not to let the things that girl says get to you. She's a troubled person, I can tell, and she's just taking it out on you."

Indigo eyes dropped to the floor and the dark haired girl nodded. Her hand rested on the sensor lock. "I think I'm going to sleep a bit. All that juuball wore me down."

"You want to be alone." Taiki saw right through her words, as usual. "That's fine, but don't forget Seiya, I'm here for you when you need me."

Now Seiya looked up her friend and smiled, the beginning of tears forming in her eyes. "Thanks Taiki!" she said, and threw her arms around the girl. Taiki seemed startled for a second but then hugged her back. Seiya was grateful to have such a wonderful person in her life. Taiki was more than just a brainy student; she was a loving, caring girl who Seiya was blessed enough to know.

Minutes later Seiya lay back on her bed, thinking over the day's events. Taiki was usually—well, always, as a matter of fact—right, whether it be a problem in theoretical physics or simply being able to judge other people. But even geniuses sometimes guessed wrong. Seiya sensed nothing sinister about this girl. Troubled, yes (as Taiki had said), but a bad person? Seiya didn't think so.

She bit the nail of her thumb, an old habit which she only did when she was concentrating. She stared up at her ceiling, a collage of flowers, vines and exotic plants. And then it occurred to her.

As soon as the idea arose, a grin appeared on her face. This time there would be no way for Yaten to back out, even if she wanted to. And Seiya was certain that she could charm her way into the girl's affections. She had made the mistake before of being the girl's opponent.

Now she was going to be her partner.

a/n: "juu" 10


	4. Miscommunication

Yaten tapped her pen impatiently as she waited for class to start. She sat alone on the far side near the window, where she looked out and thought despairingly about the previous day.

As soon as she had seen the people rushing toward her she had freaked. It had provoked memories of her childhood, figures racing toward her, screaming, knocking against her and trampling her as they scrambled to get away. If she had been listening, paying attention instead of staring into the water—if she had heard their warnings a little earlier then she may have been able to get away.

And how different things would have been…

But she couldn't even imagine it. Although she had imagined it enough before, the fantasy was buried under years of despair. It pained her even to think of it now. She shrank into her seat, her stomach twisting with fear revisited. Glancing up in the next second only made it tighten more.

Seiya, the girl who had spent the last three days making Yaten's life hell, was standing at the front of the classroom, body inclined towards the teacher as they spoke in low tones. The dark haired girl looked up at her briefly and Yaten's eyes darted away towards her desk where her touch-screen monitor—built directly into the surface—was scrolling previews of the day's lesson.

"…Have to find you a seat."

Yaten's ears perked up. She looked around the room and much to her dismay saw that the only empty seats were the ones immediately around her (she had chosen hers for exactly that reason). Now she filled with dread as she saw Seiya walking directly towards her, indigo eyes locked with jade ones. Seiya dropped down in the seat next to her and smiled triumphantly.

"Class transfers aren't allowed mid-year," Yaten stated flatly.

"The teacher made an exception," Seiya retorted.

She felt her cheeks flare with anger. She was half ready to storm out of the class when the teacher called their attention.

"We'll begin our studies today on botanical medicines. As most of you know, Kinmoku as a whole is rich in all kinds of plants and trees, second only to Nettaiya as the planet with the greatest diversity of species. Even in our age of technology we look to nature as a source of healing supplies. Various flowers have been used in the aid of…"

Her voice carried on and Yaten began to lose concentration. She could see the strange girl on her right staring at her periodically, and each time Yaten would have to pretend not to notice. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the other girl tapping her screen inanely, but the screen itself was outside her visual range.

A message appeared on her own screen and she started.

'ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?'

At first she thought it was from the teacher. Upon looking up however, she concluded that it couldn't have been, as the teacher was moving back and forth across the counter that doubled as her desk, picking up various plants and describing their healing properties and history of usage. Yaten tried to look around the class casually, but while many seemed distracted or just downright bored, no one was staring back at her or appeared to be typing on their touch screens.

She turned back to her screen and cleared the message. Much as she tried to listen to the extraction methods of ael sap, she found her thoughts wandering back to the message. Maybe it wasn't intended for her at all. She settled with that theory and tried to put it from her mind. Still, a nagging part of her wished it had been…

As minutes passed she found her eyes wandering to her classmate. Seiya leaned on her left fist, her profile showing disinterest. Her eyes were downcast, making her look almost as though she were sleeping. Her lips were pursed as if she were thinking about something, although Yaten doubted it had anything to do with plants. Seiya didn't strike her as the kind of person who was really into school. She seemed more like the type to pass up a study session for a juuball match. Really, she had no idea how lucky she was to be able to go to school all her life. Yaten had learned everything she knew in secret, had spent countless nights staying awake reading forbidden books. Seiya lived in a world where knowledge was free and its pursuit was encouraged rather than punished. She envied that to a terrible degree.

'WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?'

Yaten was jolted once more. This time it couldn't have been a mistake. Whoever sent it would have known from the lack of response to the first that they sent it to the wrong person. No, this was meant for her. But who…

"Yaten Shita."

The pale haired girl sat upright at the calling of her name. A classroom of eyes fell on her. Her hands began to go numb under her table as the teacher spoke to her.

"Would you like to open up discussion on alien plant life?"

"Don't you have books for that?" she asked coldly.

The teacher looked embarrassed and several students gasped. "Well…not everything can be learned by reading alone. A firsthand perspective is always welcome."

"A firsthand account is far less accurate. Don't you think you should be teaching your students facts and not opinions?"

"I—I'm sorry. I wasn't familiar with the Kavaarian education system. If I've offended you, I do deeply apologize. When engaging in discussions with aliens, class, please remember to be respectful of their native culture. Not everybody has lived the same kind of lives that we have." Yaten cringed. She knew the teacher wasn't trying to be mean, but referring to her indirectly as an alien, and then her use of "their" and "we" reminded Yaten just how much of an outcast she was here. She had to be careful—she was starting to feel almost like she belonged, and that was dangerous.

The rest of the class passed without event. When it was over Yaten gathered her things and darted past Seiya. Out in the hall she began to relax, but too soon for the dark-haired girl cut her off before she reached the end of the corridor.

"What was that all about?"

"I don't see how it's any of your business."

The girl sighed. "Look, she didn't mean anything by what she said. You gotta understand, you're different from us. We're not sure what to say around you."

Something in her words sparked a pain in Yaten's chest. "I understand all right. But I have no intention of being dissected under your microscopes, so you can find some other _alien_." With that she brushed past her, heading nowhere but away from the girl who made her want to cry. She felt every gaze as she finally made her way to her dorm and locked herself inside. Alone, she fell to the floor, shutting her eyes tightly against tears. She had no friends here, no family, nobody at all. Headmistress Kakyuu should have left her in Qang Prison to rot, but instead she had negotiated to have the sentence reduced to exile.

_I would have been better off dead than here_ Yaten thought despairingly, and tucked her knees up into her chest as hot tears began to fall


	5. Chasing Stars

"Ready to give up?"

Seiya frowned internally. She knew Taiki was right (no surprise there). Seiya had spent the last half hour going over the ordeal in her biology class, and Taiki had then proceeded to tell Seiya exactly why trying to befriend the girl was a hopeless endeavor.

"And give her exactly what she wants? Never!" Seiya faked a huge smile. "Besides, what's the fun in doing something if it's not a challenge?"

Taiki gave her a scornful look. "If you spent half the time studying that you do chasing girls…"

"Is that all you think about?"

Taiki answered her with a definitive silence.

"It's no wonder you're not with someone!" Seiya clapped her friend on the back, not noticing the girl's brief expression of pain. "After all," she proclaimed, her hands going on Taiki's shoulders as she walked slightly behind her, "a girl as smart, beautiful as you—there's no other reason for it. You should look around realize how popular you are, Taiki." Even as she said it they passed a group of students who looked up dreamy eyed at the tall genius.

"It's a waste of energy."

Seiya stopped her, stepping in front of her and looking at her seriously. "You don't really believe that?" she said doubtfully.

The brown haired girl simply stared back.

"Taiki, there are things more important than books and computers. No matter how much you talk to one, it's not going to respond to you, make you feel warm or safe or wanted. You can't look at a book and wonder what it's thinking."

"You're too much the romantic."

Seiya crossed her arms, taking a semi-defensive stance. "And you're too distant."

Taiki dropped her eyes, looking at the ground. Seiya fell back into her seat.

"I'm sorry, I've offended you too…" She frowned with regret. Why did everything have to come out wrong? Taiki looked up, startled.

"No Seiya, you're right. I _am_ too distant. I wish that I could be just like you, that I could go up to someone I'd never met and make friends. I wish that it was me who was begged by half the school to join their juuball game. You're brave and wonderful—everyone loves you for that." She reached across the table and gently took Seiya's hand. "Don't listen to a girl who's too afraid to say what she means." She stood and walked over to Seiya, then bent over her friend and kissed her on the cheek. "Don't give up," she said quietly and solemnly, then walked away.

Seiya was stunned for a second before she leapt up out of her chair so quickly that she knocked it over. "I won't! For you Taiki, I'll never give up!"

Taiki waved without turning and disappeared into the lunch crowd. Seiya was filled with a new determination.

Now all she needed was a plan.

Seiya spent the entire day brainstorming about how to win the girl over. She even sat down to discuss the matter with Aje, who was more than happy to go over all of the different manners of courting and seduction that he had used over his long history as a playboy. Yet nothing he said seemed appropriate for Yaten (half of it wasn't appropriate at all), and so Seiya was left worrying that she might fail before she even got started.

The answer to Seiya's prayers came to her unexpectedly two days later in her biology class. The teacher was discussing local anti-histamine plants when suddenly she clapped her hands together. "I have a wonderful idea! Everyone, how would you like to take a field trip?" Several people cheered and made favoring comments, much to the delight of the small woman. "Great! Tomorrow we'll meet outside at the greenhouse C on the north-eastern wing of the campus. Dress for hiking, and be prepared with a lunch and canteen. Oh, and you'll need a partner."

No sooner had she finished her sentence than Seiya was surrounded. "Seiya, let's be partners!" "Hey Seiya, you wanna pair up?" "Seiya, you promised me _last_ time…"

Seiya noticed that the one person who wasn't rushing to hook up with her was Yaten. The platinum-haired girl was staring dismally ahead, apparently ignorant to the storm that was brewing next to her. The crowd slowly quieted as they realized Seiya wasn't responding to them. This seemed to get Yaten's attention, and she turned her head to see Seiya staring at her. She flinched visibly under her gaze but before she could break it, Seiya stood and the crowd parted. From the looks on their faces Yaten hadn't been the only one who was surprised.

Seiya smiled and said with charm and arrogance, "Yaten will be my partner."

"_Her?!_" someone choked out in astonishment, voicing the thoughts of the entire class.

To the shock of everyone—Seiya included—the girl stood abruptly, so close that the taller girl actually had to back up into her chair. She leaned forward, hands clenched into fists at her side. "Yaten will _not_ be your partner," she said with quiet defiance. Her voice shook with restraint. "Don't mistake me for another one of your brainless fans, and don't ever think that you can speak for me," she warned dangerously. Seiya's mouth dropped as Yaten picked up her things and headed for the door.

"Hey!" she called after her, and the girl stopped. The rest of the class looked between the two as the drama continued to unfold.

"Don't flatter yourself. I only asked you because I felt sorry for you. I knew no one else would ask you and I didn't want you to feel embarrassed."

Seiya waited for a sharp retort, but after a few seconds Yaten simply walked out of the room.

She sighed and sank back into her seat. No one else seemed to know what to say. The ending bell broke the silence and slowly people began to filter out of the room. At last all that was left were the dark haired girl and her teacher.

Mistress Karada seated herself in front of Seiya, with the desk in between them. She folded her hands on her lap, her face set with patience as she waited for her student to acknowledge her.

Finally Seiya looked up. "Why do you think she hates me?"

The woman smiled back gently. "I don't believe that she does. Is hatred what you see when you look at her face, in her eyes. Is it hatred or sorrow? Both can be so passionate, one is easily mistakable for the other."

"And you think she's just sad."

"More than sad, but if there is hate it is not directed towards you." Seiya perked up at this. The teacher obviously knew something she wasn't telling.

"Well she sure likes to take it out on me. And if not me, then who?"

Mistress Karada looked away, her gray eyes falling into shadow. "It is not in my nature to reveal another's secrets. Suffice to say, her transfer to this school was not under ordinary circumstances."

Seiya stood, her hands pressed firmly on the counter. The chair flew out from under her in the motion, causing the teacher to jolt. "Don't keep me guessing! I _need_ to know."

The woman shook her head and gracefully rose from the seat, retracing her steps to the front of the classroom. "For your sake, Seiya, I think it's best if you forget about her."

In a fit, Seiya slammed her fist down. "Why does everyone think that leaving her alone is what's best? If you know something—"

"If you cared then you would consider how your pursuits are affecting the girl. Now, I'll see you at the greenhouse tomorrow morning. Make sure you're prepared."

And with that the conversation had ended. Seiya opened her mouth but realized it was useless. Feeling defeated, she collected her things and made her exit.


	6. Silia Petals

Yaten's gut wrenched as she approached the circle of peers gathered around the entrance to the greenhouse. She was sick with the thought of seeing Seiya again after their exchange in class the day before. Just as she had begun to like her, the dark haired girl had proven herself to be just like the rest of them. It had been Yaten's mistake to open up, even a little. The pain she felt was vivid, sustained by the knowledge that she would have to face her almost every day for at least the eight months, until a new school year started and she could have a chance at not being in the same class. Until then—well she could always ask for a transfer, but she doubted the school board had any more favors to give for people like her. And frankly she didn't want to go through another trial like the one for getting in, where she had been ridiculed and ripped apart by a band of bitter old men and women. If it hadn't been for Headmistress Kakkyu being there, having her to defend her…

She definitely had no intention of putting herself through that again, even if it meant having to tolerate Seiya's presence for the remainder of the term. It wasn't something to look forward to, but there were worse things in the world. And she was sure that there were many people at that school who were just waiting for a reason to send her back to them.

Her nerves calmed a bit as she looked around and failed to find the object of her contemplations. _Maybe she's skipping out_, she thought hopefully, but in the next moment she heard a rousing of voices and knew that Seiya was close by.

She turned and caught Seiya's indigo eyes before either had a chance to stop themselves. Abruptly they broke the stare but Yaten still felt the aftershocks ripple through her.

The girls surrounding the dark haired deity were vying for her attention, begging to be picked for sacrifice, or so Yaten imagined. Yaten could not stop herself from looking up when Seiya announced her choice.

"Yura, will you be my partner?" she asked dutifully, as if the response was even in question. The girl she was talking to was short with huge sunny blond curls sneaking from her ponytail. Despite the teacher's instructions she was wearing a skirt and stylish but inappropriate shoes, not to mention her skin tight white tee which Yaten doubted would pass any school dress code. Yura giggled and promptly attached herself to Seiya's arm, much to the discomfort of Yaten.

She turned her pale head away with much effort, trying to convince herself that it didn't matter who Seiya paired with, even if it was the cutest girl in class. Besides, she had to worry about finding her own partner. Seiya was right when she said yesterday that nobody wanted to pair up with her. Ten minutes later she was the only one left alone. She wished she could sink right into the tree that she was leaning against. Mistress Karada peered around, looking for another who was so desperate.

"Hey, wait up Mistress K!" a male voice shouted. Yaten recognized him from when they'd played juuball together. His hair was red and pulled into a slightly higher pony tail than the rest the class. Aje ran up in a pant to Mistress Karada.

"Senseiiiii…I need a favor! I'm going out of town tomorrow so I needed to know if I could sit in on this class."

"Certainly, Aje. Now let's see, who still needs a partner…" She raised her head to survey the group. Yaten ducked.

"Oh yes! Yaten!!!" Yaten groaned at her own name. She thought for some reason that the teacher might just forget about her if she stayed quiet enough.

Aje's expression was equally disgusted when he saw who he was to get as a partner. Yaten could tell from his face that he was reconsidering whatever plans he had made for tomorrow.

"Good! Now that that's settled, we can all begin. Follow me everyone." She led them into the green house and Yaten had to suppress the urge to gasp. It was beautiful, more full of color and life than anything she had ever seen. The main part of the floor was laid with rows of fruits and vegetables, and along the side were more variations of flowers than she ever imagined existed. Vines crept over the glass walls, various species intertwining with each other. Every color of the spectrum was represented.

Yaten walked over to one flower that caught her eye. Its body was bell shaped, spread open wide as if receiving the world as fully as it could. The petals were translucent, with veins of something iridescent running through the surface. She bent down lower to breath in its intoxicating smell but was wrenched back by a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't want to do that," her partner warned her. "That's a silia. The pollen on it is fatal."

Yaten judged if the boy was being serious and decided that he was. "Why would they keep that kind of a flower in here?"

Aje grinned. "Well, everyone on Kinmoku knows how dangerous it is. It would only pose a threat to an outsider." Yaten cringed inwardly. "It does more than just kill, though. You see those glowing streams in its petals?" He pointed them out although he need not have, for that was what had drawn Yaten to it in the first place. "When it's extracted, it's actually a powerful antidote. It's been known to cure all kinds of different diseases. In fact, there's a whole research lab dedicated to the uses of that plasma. So even though it's dangerous on the outside, it's actually an amazing healer. Pretty cool, huh?"

Yaten was impressed, but hesitant to admit it. "I guess."

The bright-haired boy looked at her with something like disappointment. "Well, look out for it in any case. It still could kill you." Yaten was about to utter a response but the teacher began quieting them.

"Look around you, everyone. All of these plants can be found within a thirty mile radius of the school. I want each pair to pick three of them—one flower, one herb, and one fruit—and write them down on your P.E.N. You can make sketches or any kind of notes that'll help you identify them. Upload your choices to me and as soon as I have everyone's, we'll head out."

Yaten went into her pack and removed the portable electronic notebook, or P.E.N. as it was abbreviated. She turned it on and waited for the screen to load.

"You want to pick?" Aje offered.

She shrugged in reply, provoking an exasperated breath from her partner. As he went off in search of their plants, Yaten leaned back against an empty part of the glass. Her eyes wandered until they found Seiya of their own accord.

The two girls were standing close to one another, their body language indicating that Seiya was flirting with the highly receptive blond. Seiya reached up to Yura's face but did not touch it, instead pulling a flower from the vine directly behind her. She tucked the stem into Yura's ponytail, pulling the tiny girl close to her so that she could reach over her to get it in. Yura's head was inches from Seiya's chest.

"Jealous?" Aje asked, reappearing at her side and startling her.

"No," she lied immediately, heart racing.

"Really? I sure am. Every guy and girl in school wishes that they were Yura right now." He sighed almost longingly and Yaten silently echoed him.

A few minutes passed before Mistress Karada led them outside once more. The ground descended as they made their way down to the edge of a forest. Many paths were cut into it, and the teacher split them off into groups, instructing that each group was to break up further when their path forked, until at last everyone was left in pairs. She gave them three hours to search, and reminded them of their lunches for when they needed a break.

Yaten's greater group included Seiya and Yura, as well as two other pairs. Seiya's was the second to split off, and eventually Yaten was left alone with Aje.

The red head proved to have quite a mouth. Yaten only half listened as he named off various species of plants that they passed. In fact, she was curious about the flora of that planet, so different from her own barren home. The other half of her attention was occupied by Seiya who, despite her best efforts, she could not get out of her mind.

"So, what kind of plants are there on Kavaar?"

Yaten looked up. A chord of pain rang through her chest at the mention of her home world.

"The kind that don't require sunlight," she answered, hoping he would leave it alone.

"No sunlight, huh?" Aje laughed but found that Yaten wasn't joining him. "You're…you can't be serious? A plant couldn't survive without sunlight."

"You obviously know nothing about Kavaar," she snapped back.

Aje frowned. "I guess you're right. We never really—"

His sentence was interrupted by a loud, high pitched scream. After a pause he ran off in the direction of it, leaving Yaten behind. Yaten, not knowing her way around the woods and doubtful she would be able to get back on her own, followed Aje as he sprinted like a wild animal until they reached the source of the voice.

At first they didn't see anyone as they came to the edge of a small, steep hill. The sound of crying drew their attention and they looked down. At the foot of the hill were Yura and Seiya, the former sobbing uncontrollably and the latter trying in vain to calm her down.

"Seiya!" Aje called. A dark head looked up.

"Aje! Good to see you here."

"What happened?" he asked his friend.

Seiya looked to the blond. "We were walking along the edge and we slipped and ended up down here. Yura sprained her ankle, though—"

"Is it broken!?" the girl cried.

"No, it's not broken," Seiya reassured her with a smile that actually stopped her sobs, then turned back to Aje. "I don't suppose you brought any rope along?"

Aje grinned proudly. "As a matter of fact…" He pulled it from his pack, a thin braid of rope that was wrapped into a loop. Aje tied up one end to a thick tree and tossed the other down to Seiya. From her end, Seiya made a knot a little ways up and then carefully tied the rope around Yura's waist.

She bent down to talk to the slighter girl, whose crying had subsided. "Aje is gonna pull you up, okay? So just hold on to this knot up here." Yura nodded, a pitiful expression still plastered on her face.

"Can you give me a hand?" Aje said to Yaten, taking her by surprise. She crossed her arms over her chest in a stubborn stance.

"I hate physical exertion."

"You've gotta be kidding me," the red-head said angrily. He stood up and closed the distance between them, making Yaten take a step back. "I don't give a damn about whether or not you like it." Something came towards her body and her hand flew out instinctively, catching it. "Now you're gonna help me or I'm gonna throw you down there and leave you."

"Aje!" Seiya said in a warning voice but her friend wouldn't hear of it.

"I'm not gonna make excuses for this girl like you do, Seiya," Aje called down. "Yura's injured and all she cares about is not breaking out in a sweat. If she doesn't help me get her up, I swear I'll—"

"I'll help." All eyes turned to her. "But don't think it's because you're threatening me. Your primitive methods of persuasion don't frighten me." She stood back a ways from the edge of the cliff. "Let's just get this over with."

Yaten soon discovered that being petite meant very little when you were dead weight. It took all of her effort to drag the girl up the steep hill, and once she was up the partners nearly collapsed in exhaustion. Yaten looked at the blond with disdain as she brushed leaves from her knees.

"You're next up, buddy."

As if cued by Aje, a terrible sound ripped through the sky. The four of them looked up in fright. Yura was the first to find her voice.

"Oh my god! It's gonna rain. But they said the storm was over." Yaten could see the beginnings of hysterics in her.

"Aje, you go back to campus with Yura. I'll find a way back myself."

"No way. I'm not leaving you down there, Seiya."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Seiya said with absolute confidence. "It'll take you and Yura longer though because of her ankle. You need to leave right now or you might get caught up in the rain."

Aje's objection was cut off as Yura began to cry again. "Can you climb up on your own?"

"I think so…" She sounded less certain now. "But don't worry about me. You need to go."

"Alright…" Aje agreed hesitantly. "But if you're not back in an hour I'm sending a search party after you."

Seiya laughed. "One hour; I'll see you at school." As soon as the other two were gone Seiya sobered up. She started pacing, stopping every few seconds to look over the side of the cliff below her, then up the hill, then again with the pacing.

Yaten was watching her so intently that she actually jumped back when the thunder cut through the sky again. She didn't know much about storms but it sounded closer. She folded her arms to her chest. Already the temperature was dropping.

"Hey!" she called, approaching the side. Seiya looked up in surprise as if she had forgotten she was there. "When are you going to climb up?" she asked impatiently.

"You can go back too. Just follow the trail; it'll lead you there."

"I don't need your permission to go back!"

"Then why are you still standing there?"

That was enough to shut her up. Why _was_ she still standing there? She turned around and was about to head for the path but without warning the ground gave out beneath her. She screamed as she slipped down the steep hill, scraping her bare skin on the branches and rocks that littered its face. When she landed at the bottom she looked up to see Seiya standing over her.

"I didn't mean for you to join me," the dark haired girl said, not working too hard to conceal her grin. Yaten scrambled to her feet angrily.

"You didn't tell me the ground was slippery!" she screamed.

"Why do you think we fell down it in the first place?"

Yaten blushed, feeling stupid, and walked away with a _hmph_. She stood at the edge of the cliff and watched as the horizon grew dark before her eyes. A chill ran through her body and she wasn't sure if it was the cold or just fear.

She didn't plan on being there when the storm came. The hill was too saturated from the last heavy rain to attempt to climb. That left only one option. She took a swift glance over the side of the cliff to pick out a path. Then without warning she dropped over the edge.

"Yaten!" Seiya screamed, and a moment later her stricken face appeared over the side. She exhaled noticeably when she saw that Yaten had landed on a small platform that jutted out of the side.

"What are you doing?" she burst out. "There's no way down like that."

Instead of answering, Yaten descended to the next ridge, and continued rapidly until she touched ground at the bottom. She found Seiya's astonished expression quite amusing but kept her own stoic.

Seiya shifted to her usual flirtatious smile. "All right, you win. But where do you plan on going now?"

Yaten's heart sank. She had no idea how to get back to the trail from here, or even if it was at all possible.

Look, "I can't get down this cliff on my own," Seiya continued, "and I doubt you can find your way back to campus before the storm starts, so what do you say we put our differences aside and help each other out?"

Yaten hated to admit it, but she didn't see any other option. "Fine," she said coldly, not happy that she would have to rely on Seiya to get her out of there.

"Alright, we have a deal."


	7. Changing Course

Taiki swiftly entered her father's entry code on the keypad and the door slid open. She stepped inside and found the area empty. Her father's home was cylindrical in shape, bisected by a wall which split the sleeping quarters off from the rest of it. To Taiki's left was the living room; to the right, a dining room; and farther back to the right a smaller enclosed area was the kitchen.

A figure emerged from the open frame across from her which was the single entrance to the bedrooms. It was Kakyuu-sensei, the headmistress of the school. Instead of her uniform she was dressed in a soft coral slip. The robe she wore over it hung open, leaving Taiki to gaze at the triangle of skin bared above the seductively low neckline.

The brunette turned her head to the side respectfully, resisting the desire to keep staring. Kakyuu laughed musically.

"There's no need to be shy. We're both girls," she stated in a simplistic manner.

"I'm sorry, I just came to speak with my father," Taiki explained, still turned away.

"Ah, he's just in the bedroom. Let me go back and get him."

Taiki took a seat on the curved couch which attached to the wall. Her eyes wandered about the space as she waited. It was only moderately different from the home that Taiki remembered as a child. The walls were repainted, and a few bits of furniture had been rotated out, but otherwise little had changed. The only real difference was that her mother was no longer there. Taiki began to lose herself in her memories. The sweet aroma of orange blossoms brought her back to the present. When she looked up Kakyuu was standing before her once more, alone.

"He'll be out here in just a minute. It seems he had the bad luck of receiving an important call just as you arrived. That's works out though—I've wanted a chance to talk to you in private. Would you like something to drink?" she offered kindly, already stepping towards the kitchen.

"Water is fine."

Kakyuu reemerged a moment later with a glass for Taiki and a mug for herself. She sat down next to the student, so close that her leg pressed against her through the thin layer of silk. Taiki shifted away from her and she frowned.

"Taiki…I know this must be a strange situation for you, your father and I seeing each other."

"That isn't what I came here for," Taiki said in a low voice, hoping to end the conversation there.

"Even so… I feel that you don't approve of me being here."

"Do you need my approval?"

"No, I don't. Your father and I are both adults. I just don't want you to think that I'm trying to take your mother's place."

Taiki's insides churned at the mention of her mother but she kept it hidden. "Don't worry; you could never take her place."

Her father appeared in the doorway in front of her. "Taiki-chan! How is my little girl?" He held out his arms for a hug and Taiki got off from the couch and embraced him tightly. "What news! My daughter dropping in to see me… Have you been well? How are your studies going?"

"I'm fine, school is the same. Actually, Dad, I came here for something else. I need to ask you about someone. Have you ever heard of a girl named Yaten Shita?"

Her dad's smile dropped off of his face. He looked past her to Kakyuu, catching her eye to transmit some secret message.

"Dad, what is it?"

"Nothing," he replied briskly. "Yes, I know about Yaten Shita. Listen hon, as your father, I don't think it's a good idea to get involved with her."

Taiki scoffed. "Believe me, I'm not. It's Seiya. She's become obsessed with the girl."

"Well, my best advice is to tell Seiya to stay as far away from her as possible."

"I've tried; she doesn't listen. If I had a reason—"

Kakyuu intervened here. "Taiki, you know the files of students are confidential."

"Even at the expense of other students?" she shot to her. Kakyuu pursed her lips and sighed.

"Look sweetie," her dad said, drawing her attention, "I'd love to stay here and talk but that call just now was from Climate Control. They said another storm has changed direction and is headed right this way. We're gonna have to round up all the students."

Taiki grabbed her father's arm as he made for the door. "But Dad—Seiya is out there. Her class took a field trip out into the forest."

"Administration has already been contacted. I'm sure her teacher will bring her back safely." Taiki found no reassurance in her father's words. Something was growing in the pit of her stomach, a fear of what was about to transpire.

"Please, can I go with you?"

Her father had little choice but to give into his daughter's pleading eyes. "Okay, but no more worrying about Seiya, okay? I'm sure she's already back at the dorms right now."

Taiki nodded, but her heart did not echo the gesture.


	8. Revelation

Yaten was now sincerely regretting her choice of clothes. The halter top and shorts provided little protection from the nearly freezing weather. The fact that they were now in a valley made it no better. Seiya, on the other hand, seemed to be fine. She was walking ahead at a quick pace.

"Do you know even where you're going?" The cold was making her more irritable than before.

"Yes princess, I know where we're going." Seiya had taken up calling Yaten that after her endless stream of complaints and questions which were annoying Seiya so badly that she wished she really had fallen off that cliff so she wouldn't have had to hear it so incessantly.

"It seems like we should have turned back towards the trail by now. We're heading in the opposite direction."

"That's the idea."

"What?" Yaten asked loudly. She jogged to catch up to Seiya and stopped right in front of her. "What do you mean, '_That's the idea_'? Are you saying you've been leading us away from the school on purpose?"

Seiya's patience was definitely waning. "Look, I don't know where the trail is. What I do know is that right there"—she pointed and Yaten followed her finger—"built into the base of that mountain are a bunch of caves. Now we can either stay out here all day looking for the trail and freeze to death in this rain, or we can keep going until we get to those caves and hang out there until the storm passes."

Yaten let out an angry chortle and resigned herself to her former position, not two feet behind the taller woman. The ground rose steadily before them and they treaded onward, the sound of churning skies behind them indicating that the storm was fast approaching.

Once the ground leveled off again Seiya pivoted and began to walk backwards, tucking her hands behind her head and gazing at Yaten coolly. Yaten tried to ignore it, looking every way but forward but after a few minutes her patience was waning. "What are you staring at?" she asked with annoyance.

"I can't imagine why you wouldn't like exerting yourself. You look nice when you sweat."

"That's disgusting. And you'd better not let your girlfriend find out that you said it."

"Who, Yura? Oh she's not my girlfriend," Seiya responded nonchalantly.

"You give flowers to every girl who isn't your girlfriend?"

Seiya hid her smile by turning to the side. "I didn't know you were watching us."

"You're hard to miss." Yaten stopped and faced her. "I've never met a person so attention deprived."

"And I've never met one so self-righteous."

The two glared at each other with sparks between them before continuing on. They walked in silence for a while until the sky crackled overhead and the first few drops began to fall on them.

Seiya lifted her head and let the warm drops trickle onto her face. She raised her arms up like a bird and began to spin. As a child she had always loved the rain, and often snuck out during the beginning of a downpour to play in it. It was only after an hour or so that the winds usually picked up, and then it became intolerable. Until that happened though, it was a marvelous experience.

She stopped twirling to see if Yaten was enjoying it too but the other girl looked like a trapped animal. She stood still as a statue except for the visible shivering of her slight body. She was breathing unnaturally heavy, as if she had just finished a marathon. Seiya approached her and gently put her hands on the girl's arms. "Are you okay? Are you cold?"

Yaten seemed unable to speak. She didn't even pull away as she normally would have done. Seiya began to get worried, but a sudden burst of wind stole her attention.

"No way…The winds never start up this quickly." A second draft confirmed it. Her eyes flowed over the landscape in front of her. It was only a few hundred feet until they reached the caves.

With little other choice she grabbed the other girl's hand. To her surprise, Yaten gripped it back tightly. "Come on, we have to get to cover." The smaller girl gave a slight nod and then they both ran.

"Now, I want you to promise me you'll stay quiet while I work." Taiki agreed to this and her father walked over to his desk, which doubled as the control panel for all of the security devices across campus. He sat down and put on a set of headphones as he tapped into the Universal Control Line, which connected all of the administrators.

Taiki busied herself looking up at the hundreds of flat panels that lined the walls, searching all of those that contained outdoor images. At last she found the one with Seiya's teacher. There was no audio, but from the looks of it she was ushering her students back into campus. A few were still emerging slowly from the edge of the forest. As she watched, Aje came onto the screen, half-dragging a blond girl who was covered in mud and seemed to be crying.

Taiki looked to see her father's back turned. The man was staring over the open landscape which was visible from the immense window cut into his wall. Sneaking up to his desk, she discreetly snatched the remote control.

Programming in the camera number, she began scanning the area for any sign of Seiya. The area was mostly empty except for Aje and the girl who were trudging across the wet grass towards the school. He followed them with the camera. Eventually they joined a group of students who were huddled together next to the entrance, looking out onto the dreary terrain. Taiki recognized several students. In fact, as she recognized the crowd of faces, she began to realize that they were all from Seiya's biology class—all except Aje. She counted…18 of them. That meant only two were missing. Taiki's blood curdled as she realized exactly who they were.

"Dad!" she screamed, not caring if she got in trouble for interrupting him. Her father pivoted in his chair to face her, a stern expression on his face. He held up a finger for her to wait. A second later he set down his headphones and folded his hands in front of him.

"Dad, listen, this is important. Seiya and that girl Yaten are both missing from their class. They're the only ones who haven't returned yet. I know they're somewhere out there together. Something tells me—"

"Taiki, there's no need to become eccentric. I'm already aware of the situation." Her father's business tone only made Taiki more upset.

"Father, you have to do something—"

"Taiki! If you will give me the chance, that's exactly what I'm doing." The girl watched as her father dialed a new number. A moment later he said into his headset, "All officials, this is in Universal Control. We have two students missing in the Northeastern woods. Seiya Kou: student id 92740; Yaten Shita: student id 71108. Have a rescue party on standby at the North campus entrance. Send out a police unit as well."

"Police?!" Taiki practically yelled as soon as her father pressed the disconnect button. She planted her hands on the desk and leaned toward him. "Dad, what's going on?" she asked with barely restrained panic.

Her dad sat with his jaw resting on his folded hands, looking thoughtful. "This is more serious than I thought," he said softly, and Taiki wondered if he had even meant for her to hear it.

"_Dad!_" she said again, and this time he looked up at her. Tears were forming in her eyes. "Dad, please tell me what's happening. Why are you sending police out?"

Taiki's father rubbed his eyes with his palms. She could tell he was trying to decide on something. "Alright," he said at last, "I'm entrusting you not to reveal this to anyone. If you do, keep in mind it could cost me my job. What I'm about to tell you is confidential. The records on this have been sealed by the High Council of Kinmoku."

She resisted the urge to press him for more information, lest he change his mind for it. Instead she waited for him to explain more.

"I understand that Seiya is your best friend, and that you're deeply concerned for her. The fact is, she is in more danger than you could possibly imagine."


	9. Rising Waters

Seiya ran so furiously, she didn't have time for words as she pulled Yaten into the cave after her. By the time they reached it they were thoroughly soaked but Seiya paid little attention. The cave grew exponentially darker as they ran through it. Seiya couldn't help but notice that they were descending. A steady flow of water streamed around their feet, growing steeper as they went through it. When they were up to their calves Yaten stopped.

"It's flooding! We need to go back!" Yaten tried to turn around abruptly but Seiya still had a tight grip on her arm and the sudden motion sent both girls to the ground.

"We can't go back! If we try to find another one we'll get washed away in the current, or the wind will tear us apart. We don't have a choice—we need to get to higher ground."

"How do you know it won't keep getting lower?" It was a legitimate question, and suddenly Seiya knew the answer.

"Hello!!!" She called towards the direction they had been moving. The sound bounced back at her. "There's either a wall or a cliff," she concluded. "Either way, it doesn't keep going down. Come on, it's our only chance." She pulled Yaten to her feet and they trudged on.

They were waist deep when they nearly ran into the rocky cliff. From what they could feel, it rose sharply in front of them. They didn't know what awaited them at the top, but anything seemed better than drowning.

Seiya started climbing blindly when she heard Yaten cry out. "What is it?" she asked.

"My foot's stuck!" said Yaten, who sounded like she was struggling.

Seiya leapt down, causing a splash when she landed.

"What are you doing?" Yaten asked incredulously.

"Saving your life," Seiya said before taking a deep breath and going under. She found Yaten's ankle and felt where her foot was trapped. She attempted to pull it free but did not succeed. Finally her lungs demanded breath and she surfaced.

"What are you thinking!?" Yaten screamed at her.

"I'm not leaving you here," Seiya answered determinedly, spitting out water between words.

"Look, you've got no one to impress so stop trying to play hero. Just leave me here and go up that cliff by yourself."

"You're wrong if you think that's what this is about." Once more she ducked under the water, groping at the rocks wildly as she attempted to free her. After a minute she came up for air again.

"I don't understand why you're doing this!" Yaten said with frustration. She sniffled and Seiya wasn't sure if it was from the water or if she was actually crying. "You can still save yourself if you just _go_." She sounded more desperate now. "Otherwise we'll _both_ drown here."

"I'm not going to let you drown alone. Here." She knelt so that the water was up to her neck. "Push down on my shoulders as hard as you can. I'm going to push up. Hopefully it'll be enough force to free you."

Yaten didn't say anything for a time. Seiya tilted her head to keep it about the water level. "Come on, if we work together we can do this. Then we can both climb up to safety, okay?"

Yaten answered by putting her hands on Seiya's shoulders as instructed. She pressed down and Seiya pushed up. After a grunt from Yaten and a huge effort on both parts her foot came free.

"Come on," Seiya said, wasting no time. They climbed hastily up the cliff and after what seemed like an endless ascent they emerged onto a flat, dry area. Seiya collapsed onto it and Yaten sank down to her knees a few feet away from her. The rushing of water below them seemed less daunting from their position. Seiya tried to put it out of her thoughts and figure out what to do next.

------

Yaten desperately attempted to control her panting. She didn't want Seiya to know how tired or afraid she was. Water brought back so many painful memories, and that was almost worse than the present situation. She closed her eyes and attempted to calm the maelstrom of emotions whirling inside her.

A hand grabbed for her and she pulled back so suddenly that she fell onto her wounded ankle. She let out a cry of pain and scampered away until she felt a wall against her back. Tucking her legs to her body closely, she sat shivering both from the cold and fear.

"I'm sorry," Seiya said, sounding like she truly was. "I didn't mean to hurt you." Yaten gave no verbal response. She leaned her forehead onto her knees and began to cry silently. After a time Seiya asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Yaten answered unconvincingly, her voice shaky. She heard movement in front of her and opened her eyes, looking in Seiya's direction. Seiya gasped audibly.

"Your eyes—they're glowing!"

Yaten frowned and stared at the girl. On a hunch she lifted up her hand and waved it next to her but Seiya never took her eyes off Yaten's. "You can't see," Yaten said softly as the realization struck her.

"See? It's pitch black in here." Seiya sounded somewhat offended.

Yaten shifted positions and rose to her feet. With small steps she made her way to the dark-haired girl. Seiya drew back as if expecting an attack. When she was barely two feet away she stopped and kneeled in front of her.

Knowing that she had the advantage left Yaten feeling a little empowered. She reached out and let her hand hover over Seiya's cheek. Feeling bold, she traced the nape of the girl's neck down to the collar of her shirt. Her top was soaked and the thin material clung to her skin. Yaten could see the shape of her breasts as clearly as if Seiya had been wearing nothing. A new feeling began to fill her and she withdrew her hand guiltily.

"Do you still have your pack?" she asked, attempting to distract herself. Seiya slid her backpack off her shoulders and emptied its contents in the space between them. Seiya felt through the items and pulled out a thin silver object roughly the size of a pencil. She flicked something on its side several times and cursed.

"Damn, we needed that to start a fire," she explained. Yaten took a look around. She got up and walked over to the wall where she had been sitting. She pressed herself against it and began sniffing.

"What are you doing?" asked Seiya from where she sat.

"Looking for something," Yaten answered vaguely as she moved along it slowly. At last she found what her nose told her was there—fragments of flint jutting out of the wall. She ran a finger along its surface and tasted it to verify. When she was certain she leaned her weight onto it and broke it off with a grunt.

"Is that steel?" she asked, sitting in front of Seiya again.

"What, you mean the lighter? No, I don't think it is, but"—she pulled something from her back pocket—"will this work?"

Yaten took the pocket knife out of her hand and opened it. "It should."

"We still need something to light," Seiya pointed out. Yaten opened up her own pack and pulled out a circle of rope. She set it to the side and held the blade towards it, striking the blade with the flint. It took several sparks before one caught, and in a few moments a slow fire was burning.

Seiya held up a hand to shield her eyes. She squinted and looked towards the small blaze. "You had rope this entire time?" she asked in disbelief. "That could have been useful when we were climbing down that cliff," she said with a note of contempt.

"Clearly it's useful _now_," Yaten said, to which she received no objection. "What are you doing?" she asked, startled as she noticed Seiya beginning to pull off her shirt.

"I'm getting dry," Seiya stated casually and finished pulling it over her head. Yaten immediately turned her head away. Her heart rate jumped and now her ankle wasn't the only thing throbbing.

"What?" Seiya asked innocently. "No need to be modest. We're both girls."

Yaten turned her back on Seiya completely, facing the wall. "On my planet, people aren't so shameless." She nearly spat the last word, hoping her animosity would conceal her real feelings.

"Look, I respect your planet's culture but I don't intend to waste this fire." Yaten could hear her strip off her shorts and toss them aside. She sat frozen in place, not in the least because of the cold. Seiya continued, "If you want to sit there and freeze to death then I'm not going to stop you."

Yaten didn't answer. She _was_ incredibly cold, but she had no intention of taking off her clothes in front of Seiya. The very thought of it planted an unsettling feeling in her stomach.

She stared ahead blankly and tried in vain to purge her mind of the image of the naked girl behind her.

------

"Taiki?"

Taiki stepped back from her father's desk, her hand over her mouth doing little to conceal the look of horror on her face. Her father got up and walked around to where she stood. He held her arms to support her. Taiki shook her head but no words issued from her. The man shook his daughter gently. "Taiki, answer me hon."

With an effort she dropped her hand and made an attempt at regaining her composure. When she spoke, her mouth felt parched and her voice was low. "You want me to tell you if I'm alright, after what you just told me… Does it even matter?"

"Taiki, listen, I understand how you're feeling. I entrusted you with this knowledge confidentially, and if anyone were to find out—"

"Are you serious!?" she practically screamed, breaking away from him. "All you care about is you damn job? I can't believe you. My best friend's _life_ is in danger!"

At that moment the door to his office swung open. Kakyuu stepped inside and froze when she saw Taiki. She looked back and forth between the two of them and then calmly shut the door.

"You told her?" she asked Corin, and her quiescent voice was marked with subtle anger.

"You knew?!" Taiki made a move towards her but her dad held her wrist. She broke away easily and stepped in front of the Headmistress. "If you knew then why did you let her into the school?"

Kakyuu frowned as she looked up at the taller girl. "I'm afraid you don't understand the circumstances."

"I don't _care_ about circumstances!" Taiki shot back.

"Taiki, if she stayed on that planet she was going to be executed."

"Then she should have been!!" Taiki screamed, whirling to face her father. "Yaten Shita deserves to die!"

"That's enough!" shouted Kakyuu, her voice carrying over the others. Addressing Corin, she said, "I don't know what compelled you to violate the law and nearly worry your daughter to death in the process, but you are out of line."

"So now you're getting mad at him? It was your mistake—"

Kakyuu threw up her hand and the motion silenced the student. "One more word out of you and you'll be suspended. Now I suggest you return to your dorm and wait out the storm there."

Taiki's jaw was clenched so tightly that she couldn't open her mouth for a response. Furiously she stomped past the Headmistress and exited the control room, slamming the door with all of her strength on the way out.

She took the elevator down to the dorms and headed to the one she shared with Seiya. The conversation with her father replayed in her mind. It stilled seemed like a bad dream, one that she hoped desperately to awaken from. Everything made sense now, in a way. Yaten's mysterious transfer in the middle of the school year, her antisocial behavior… The only thing she couldn't understand was _why_. Why did Kakyuu bring her into the school, knowing full well what she had done? She couldn't help but feel betrayed by both the Headmistress and her father.

Taiki's hand hesitated on the id pad outside of her room. True to her word, Kakyuu wouldn't hesitate to suspend her after the ordeal in the control room, but she couldn't just abandon her best friend.

She turned and walked back down the hallway from where she had come. Some things were just more important than not getting suspended.


	10. Reconciliation

Seiya spent a good deal of time staring at Yaten's clothed back. The pale haired girl had not said a word to her since calling her "shameless". Seiya thought it was an unfair term; of course she wasn't ashamed of her body, but she didn't go around flaunting it as Yaten was implying. Seiya tried to stop herself from thinking too deeply into it. Yaten was probably still shaken from having her foot stuck. Come to think of it, she hadn't mentioned it since they had made it to safety.

"How's your foot feeling?" she asked, disrupting the silence.

"It's fine," Yaten answered shortly and Seiya immediately knew she was lying.

"I could take a look at it. There was a med kit in my bag—"

"I said it's okay." Seiya paused with her hand halfway towards the kit and withdrew it.

"Can I ask you a question?" Seiya ventured cautiously. When Yaten didn't answer, she took the lack of objection as permission to go ahead. "Back when it started raining, you seemed, well…petrified. What were you so afraid of?"

Seiya had almost given up on getting an answer when Yaten said, "When I lived on Kavaar, I saw water like that only once. I was eleven, and I had gone with some friends to find this so-called 'secret lake'. My friend thought she knew where it was but she was wrong. We ended up getting lost in the tunnels. For hours we searched until our stomachs grew impatient with hunger. We were ready to give up, when we caught the sound of whispered voices. We rounded a corner and there it was—a gleaming pool of silver at the base of a desolate cavern. A group of people surrounded it, staring at it as if in a trance. We joined them, stepping up to the edge and peering into it. The surface was so still that I could see myself reflected in it. I was so transfixed, I didn't—" She choked on her words as the memory overtook her. After a long struggle with her emotions she continued.

"I wasn't listening to what was going on around me. Before I knew what was happening, the other people were yelling and shoving each other. I was pushed and fell forward into the lake. It wasn't deep but I was stunned by it. I'd never been immersed in water before. Everywhere there was chaos, people trampling one another, trying to escape from the confined space. I tried to protect myself by covering my head with my arms. I stayed like that until the crowd had passed. It was only then that I found out what they were running from."

Seiya had been listening to the story intently. Following a dramatic pause she pressed, "What was it?"

"Not what—who. A band of smugglers had found the place. The water was their prize—I was only a bonus."

Seiya shifted, eyes boring into the back of Yaten's silver head. "_You_?" she asked.

Yaten seemed to sense the other girl's attention on her. She turned her head toward Seiya, the firelight casting a warm glow on her features and catching a glint in her haunted eyes.

"The leader, Morg, grabbed me out of the water and pressed a gun to my throat. He told me if I resisted he wouldn't hesitate to kill me. Afterwards I wished I had. I wished it had ended there. He stole me from that place and kept me as his slave. I never saw my family or friends again."

Seiya's mouth hung agape at the conclusion of the story. She was horrified at what the girl had just revealed to her. Unconsciously she shook her head, unable to comprehend or accept what she was being told.

"You don't believe me?" Yaten asked quietly.

She felt herself caught in a defining moment. For reasons unknown to her, Yaten had finally decided to open up about her past. If Seiya wasn't careful with her words, Yaten would surely shut down again. Formulating the response in her head, Seiya answered sincerely, "Of course I believe you. I just didn't know slavery still existed in this system."

Relief passed through Yaten's eyes before they settled again. She began fiddling with the zipper on her pack. "The government would have you believe that. If no one knows about slavery then who's going to fight it?" she asked rhetorically.

Something about the girl's story was troubling Seiya. "Yaten, how did you get free?"

Yaten's hand ceased its idle motion and she hesitated before answering. "My master died on one of his smuggling raids so I was turned over to the authorities."

Seiya sensed it wasn't the whole truth but wasn't in a position to extract more information. She decided to let it go and change the subject. "The wind doesn't sound like it's relenting any. There's no telling how long it'll be before a rescue party can make it out this far."

Yaten appeared to ignore her. She was staring in the opposite direction, toward the back of the cave. Seiya was about to get her attention when the girl suddenly rose to her feet.

"Hey, where are you going?" Seiya asked as she began to walk away.

"Stay there. I just wanna check something out." She disappeared into the void of darkness at the far end of the cave. Seiya listened for her footsteps but they were soon too faint to detect. She passed the minutes staring at the dying flames. When she was almost convinced that Yaten wasn't returning, the silver haired girl emerged from the darkness and came running towards her.

"What is it?" Seiya asked, fearing the worst. Yaten reached for her pack.

"Come on, I think I found a way out."

* * *

Taiki sat on the floor pressed against the large glass doors at the north-eastern entrance, her head leaning against the wall. The cold penetrated the glass and chilled her skin. Her eyes wandered over the expanse of forest, the greenhouse sitting off to one side. She'd been staring at the same scenery for the last six hours, her hope slowly draining away.

She glanced up as the Headmistress appeared next to her, carrying a tray belonging to the mess hall. Kakyuu lowered herself to the ground and set the tray in front of her. Taiki noticed it was holding two meals. Against her will, her stomach growled loudly in the empty hall as the rich smells wafted up into her nostrils.

"If you're going to sit here all night, you might as well have some dinner," Kakyuu suggested casually, starting on a biscuit covered in butter and jam. Taiki was starving but felt that by accepting the food, she would have to let go of some of her resentment towards the Headmistress and she wasn't willing to do that yet.

"This tea is delicious," the woman said, sipping it as she spoke. Taiki withheld a response. Using the 'silent treatment' was a childhood tactic but Taiki didn't care if she was being immature at the moment.

Kakyuu set down her cups and switched tactics. "If you have a problem with me you should come right out and say—"

"You're too young for him!" The words spilled out before Taiki could stop them. It was true; the young Headmistress was only twenty-five years old, and Taiki's father was more than ten years her senior. Taiki watched her warily, awaiting the repercussions of her outburst.

Kakyuu only smiled faintly, her eyes shining with warmth and sadness. "When you love someone, it defies all boundaries. Age, gender, culture…"

"Criminal record," Taiki added cynically. The comment earned her a sharp glance from Kakyuu. "It's not like Seiya even _really_ likes her. She's just used to everyone fawning over her, and now this girl comes along who isn't interested and she sees her as a challenge, a conquest. Once she gets what she wants she won't even care about her anymore." She knew she was being unfair but she was feeling inexplicably bitter towards her friend.

"Sounds like jealously to me."

"I'm not jealous of that—" She couldn't think of a term vulgar enough to describe Yaten Shita. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sunk back against the wall, wearing an uncharacteristic pout.

Kakyuu reached out a soft hand and set it on the girl's leg. "Listen, I didn't come here to argue with you. I care about you, Taiki. You're the daughter of the man I love. Please, for his sake, let's try to get along." Withdrawing her hand, she left Taiki to contemplate her words and sort through the mess of emotions that were occupying the student's heart.


	11. The Illuminated Path

a/n: Kou Kou, Empress, Tenshi no Hoshii, and Sachiel Yukio:

thank you so much for the flattering comments. getting feedback is a huge inspiration for me. also, thanks to all you lurkers out there. I really appreciate the time you've all invested in this story and I hope I can continue to earn your interest. : )

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Seiya held fast to Yaten's hand as the girl led her through the lightless passage. They had been walking for what felt like hours, stopping for breaks only as often as was necessary. The good news was that they had been climbing steadily. They'd also taken a right turn near the beginning, indicating that they were headed in the direction of the school.

Yaten had told her that the tunnel seemed man-made. She described the even floor and carved out walls, saying they had an unnatural appearance. She also noticed what seemed to be gutters lining each side on the ground. Seiya trusted her judgment; there was little else she could do as her own vision was completely useless. She told Yaten she'd heard stories of older civilizations who had built escape routes into the mountains. They agreed this was the likeliest explanation.

They passed the time with light banter. Seiya was incessantly curious about Yaten's home world, and inquired about everything from their plants to politics. Yaten was currently explaining,

"Many of the flowers are rich in phosphorous so they provide our light—nothing like your sun, but a soft glow… Lights are fashioned from them. We have battery-operated lights too but those are much too expensive for the common person to afford. Our eyes are adapted to see in the dark. It's a survival mechanism."

Seiya was quickly learning that much of the culture on Kavaar was geared toward that very purpose: survival. Nourishment in the underground cities was scarce. Their diets mainly consisted of cheap off-world foods like bread and rice, covered in bacteria-rich spices made from ground minerals. Water dispersement was regulated by local governments who had monopolies on deep reservoirs. Such rigid controls left the population dehydrated and malnourished. Yaten's small stature, her unnaturally pale hair, and those peculiar green eyes all seemed appropriate now that Seiya understood the conditions of her home world. And she had to admit, the girl's exotic look was incredibly attractive to her.

"No one but miners are allowed on the surface. I often imagined sneaking up to see the sun, but that was forbidden and dangerous besides. We call it 'Nihla': the hidden light, also our word for _God_. We're taught that Nihla created the universe and then set itself in the sky to watch over its children." She recounted, "'It witnesses everything, but is never witnessed.'"

Seiya chuckled lightly.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing. It's just a strange story."

"Don't you have religious stories on your planet?"

"We have science; there's no need for myths."

"Science doesn't explaining everything."

"And religion doesn't explain _anything_."

Seiya knew she was pushing the girl's buttons but the fun of getting her riled up outweighed any moral objections. She heard the repressed anger in Yaten's voice when she spoke next.

"You've never had any kind of experiences you can't explain? Knowing things are gonna happen before they do, sensing other peoples' thoughts, seeing spirits…"

"Sounds a little crazy to me."

"It's not crazy!" Yaten shouted, pivoting and nearly slammed into Seiya. The taller girl caught her and kept both of them from falling. The position held their bodies pressed together, heat passing through the thin veil of still damp clothing. Seiya could hear Yaten's breath inches away, the warm exhales tickling her neck. Without her sight the rest of her senses were magnified, and the contact was all the more intense for it.

Seiya could feel Yaten's chest expand against her with each heavy inhalation. Her body responded in turn and her hands shifted from Yaten's arms to her neck. They continued their course upward, mapping the contours of the girl's face, tracing the lines of her cheekbones and jaw before settling at her lips.

Small tremors issued from the slighter girl. Her eyes, the only part of her that was visible in the utter darkness, were staring up at Seiya intently. Seiya took the lack of withdrawal as a cue.

Tipping her head forward, Seiya replaced her fingers with her lips. The kiss was unlike anything in her experience (and she had a lot to draw on). It was more than physical. Seiya could sense Yaten's presence looming in her mind. She felt the other girl's emotions channel through her—fear, vulnerability, joy. Yaten kept the reigns on the last one, which was by far the most dangerous. Seiya had never felt so intimately connected with another person. It set off a feeling of ecstasy that was developing in her mind and echoed much lower.

Growing bolder, she breached Yaten's mouth with her tongue. It was the wrong move. Yaten pulled away instantly, shutting off the euphoric butterflies that had been dancing in Seiya's head.

"I—I have to get out of here," she said in a dazed voice, and Seiya heard footsteps moving away from her.

"Wait!" Seiya exclaimed. "Please don't leave me here." She held out her hand and counted several heartbeats before Yaten took it. They walked the next few minutes in silence. Seiya wondered if kissing her had been a mistake. She couldn't help it though, it had just felt so…right.

Some time later, Yaten gasped.

"What is it?" Seiya whispered.

"There's light ahead. I think it's the way out."

Both girls forgot their weariness and made a bee line for the opening. It grew larger until it illuminated a path in front of them. Crossing the threshold, they flinched as their eyes readapted to the brilliant sunlight streaming through the trees. A vapor rose from the ground, giving the forest an ethereal look. For a few seconds they stood together and admired the beautiful landscape, and then Seiya found something even more wonderful.

"Look!" She pointed to a bare spot on the ground. They followed it up with their eyes until it disappeared behind a tree. "It's a trail." Yaten's eyes went wide and a rare smile crossed her lips. Seiya admired the change in the girl and voiced her opinion out loud.

"You should really smile more often. You're beautiful when you do."

Yaten blushed visibly and Seiya flashed a charming grin.

"Come on," the raven headed girl said excitedly, running up the trail.

"Not so fast!" Yaten cried and dashed after her.


	12. Accusation

Taiki was awoken by a faint _click_ above her head, signaling that the doors to the school had been unlocked. Alert at once, she was greeted by the sight of sunlight pouring onto a damp vista of grass and trees. Stretching her limbs, she got up and pushed the door open cautiously as if worried she might trigger an alarm. Once outside, she found a group of rescue workers gathered at the base of the hill that led into the forest. Taiki joined them and drew the attention of the leader.

"I'm going with you," she insisted, drawing an assortment of looks from the rescuers. The leader had a bald crown and bushy gray eye brows with a mustache to match. He frowned at the girl, unsure how to respond.

"'Fraid that's not possible, young lady," he said, but Taiki wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Corin Kou has granted me permission to join the operation," she lied smoothly. The old man threw a side glance to one of his men who shrugged.

"I haven't received word of this."

"The UCL had transmission problems because of the storm."

The man wasn't buying it. "Listen kid, unless I receive direct orders there's nothing I can do. So why don't you just go on inside and let us do our job."

Taiki stepped up to the man, shadowing him by several inches. "My friend is out there and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let her die—" She broke off as a dark head of hair appeared above the foot of the hill, the rest of her soon coming into view. "Seiya!" Taiki cried out. She ran to the girl as fast as her long legs would carry her and embraced her tightly. Seiya returned the hug and laughed cheerfully at the sight of her best friend.

All the joy drained from the brunette's face as she looked over Seiya's shoulder to see Yaten coming up the trail behind her. She released her friend and walked toward the other girl, antipathy written over her normally placid features. Yaten was flushed and breathless when they met and Taiki caught her off guard, striking her face with the palm of her hand. The smaller girl fell backwards and suddenly Seiya was between them, screaming Taiki's name. She pushed her so that the taller girl nearly lost her balance herself, then ran to Yaten who was holding her cheek and looking stunned.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Seiya demanded of her friend.

Taiki lost it. "To protect _you_!!" she raged. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? I stayed up half the night just praying that you were still alive and this is what you do? Side with that—_bitch_." She spat the last word.

"Whoa, slow down Taiki. Why are you so angry at her?"

"Why don't you let your _girlfriend_ tell you?" Addressing the object of her contempt, "Go ahead, tell her the reason why you came to Kinmoku. Tell her what Kakyuu was protecting you from when she secured your transfer." Yaten remained silent, eyes downcast which only seemed to provoke Taiki further. "What? Afraid she won't like you any more if she finds out what you really are…murderer," she finished loathingly.

Yaten looked up at last, her jade eyes displaying pure shock. Taiki's speech had garnered the attention of the whole rescue crew, along with some early students who had come out to enjoy the new day. Worst of all, Seiya was staring at her with a horrified look on her face. Yaten didn't need to ask if Seiya believed Taiki; her expression was answer enough.

Yaten climbed to her feet and ran up the slope to the school, ignoring the multitude of stares that followed her. Finding her voice at last, Seiya turned her gaze on Taiki.

"How could you say that?" Seiya asked in a hurt voice.

"Because it's the truth," Taiki asserted. "Yaten murdered someone on her own planet and was going to be sentenced to death. That's when our headmistress stepped in and brought her here."

Seiya suddenly felt faint. She held her head in her hand and Taiki reached out to her, gently touching her shoulder. Seiya pulled away from her.

"Just leave me alone. I need some time to think about this."

Seiya walked the same path Yaten had taken moments before, leaving Taiki to stare after her and wonder how things had gotten so messed up. She wished Yaten had never come to their planet, but that was something she couldn't change. What she could do was make sure the alien girl suffered as much as Taiki was now. Silently she vowed to do just that.


End file.
